Bonds' late jumper lifts UF in WNIT round of 16

Special to Gatorsports.com

Published: Wednesday, March 27, 2013 at 11:00 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, March 27, 2013 at 11:56 p.m.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jaterra Bonds hit a short jumper in the paint with three seconds remaining and Florida rallied late for a thrilling 67-65 victory against Charlotte in the round of 16 at Women's National Invitation Tournament played at Halton Arena Wednesday night.

The Gators trailed by four points with 1:05 remaining before freshman January Miller drilled a three-pointer with 52 seconds on the clock. Freshman Christin Mercer then came up with her career-best fourth steal of the game with 24 seconds left.

Jai Forney fouled Bonds on a shot attempt, sending UF's top free thrower to the line. She made the first and tied the game at 65 with 20.1 seconds remaining, but missed the second attempt. Jennifer George, the Gator's lone senior, collected the miss – just her fourth rebound of the game - and the Gators called a timeout to draw up the final play that worked to perfection, as Bonds spun in the paint and dropped in the floater for the victory.

“I'm so proud of our fight, our resilience,” said UF's Amanda Butler, who coached at Charlotte for four years prior to becoming the head coach at her alma mater.

Florida (21-14) advances to the WNIT quarterfinals and plays at James Madison (25-10) on Saturday.

<p>CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jaterra Bonds hit a short jumper in the paint with three seconds remaining and Florida rallied late for a thrilling 67-65 victory against Charlotte in the round of 16 at Women's National Invitation Tournament played at Halton Arena Wednesday night.</p><p>The Gators trailed by four points with 1:05 remaining before freshman January Miller drilled a three-pointer with 52 seconds on the clock. Freshman Christin Mercer then came up with her career-best fourth steal of the game with 24 seconds left.</p><p>Jai Forney fouled Bonds on a shot attempt, sending UF's top free thrower to the line. She made the first and tied the game at 65 with 20.1 seconds remaining, but missed the second attempt. Jennifer George, the Gator's lone senior, collected the miss – just her fourth rebound of the game - and the Gators called a timeout to draw up the final play that worked to perfection, as Bonds spun in the paint and dropped in the floater for the victory.</p><p>“I'm so proud of our fight, our resilience,” said UF's Amanda Butler, who coached at Charlotte for four years prior to becoming the head coach at her alma mater.</p><p>Florida (21-14) advances to the WNIT quarterfinals and plays at James Madison (25-10) on Saturday.</p>